This invention pertains to pallets useful in material handling, particularly to one-piece plastic pallets designed for use with forklift equipment.
For a number of years, wooden pallets have been a mainstay of the material handling business. In the past, wooden pallets have provided advantages of economy, simplicity and durability, principally because of the lack of other suitable materials. With the growth in the plastics industry, a wide variety of plastic materials have been investigated to determine their suitability for use as a pallet material. By comparison with wood, plastics offer the advantage of cleanliness and cleanability. Many plastics, moreover, can also be manufactured into pallets in a single molding operation, thereby avoiding costly hand labor in their fabrication. The molding operation also affords an opportunity to include design features in the pallet for various reasons. Improved stacking of empty pallets, reinforcement and resistance to damage are some of the goals which can be attained through special designs of plastic pallets.
Because of the capability of plastic materials to provide certain advantages over conventional wood and metal pallets, standards have been adopted by some organizations which require highly specialized properties. In the food and pharmaceutical processing industries, for example, cleanliness and cleanability are important. A pallet which can be steam-cleaned to provide a surface suitable for direct contact with unpackaged food is a desirable article. Resistance to chemicals such as detergents, acid foodstuffs, fish oils and vegetable oils is also important. Capability to withstand rough treatment without developing splinters or broken edges or corners is desirable in any application, including the food and pharmaceutical business. Light weight and temperature resistance are two more attributes desirable and attainable in plastic pallets.
Providing a plastic pallet light in weight, durable, easily cleaned, capable of supporting heavy loads and of being used with forklift equipment constitutes one of the principal objects of this invention. A specific object is to provide a pallet of the above type which is preferred for use within the food and pharmaceutical processing industries.